Periscope broadcasts arrive on Twitter, without the links

Twitter users will now be able to watch live videos on Periscope directly on their timelines.

Twitter

Periscope's live broadcasts can now finally be seen on Twitter.

The San Francisco-based social network said Tuesday that Periscope broadcasts have been integrated directly onto Twitter users' timelines, allowing people to view videos without first needing to click a link. Users can tap a video that goes full-screen, complete with Periscope comments and floating hearts from other users.

"We're making it easier to see what's happening by bringing Periscope broadcasts -- both live and replays -- directly into Tweets," Periscope CEO Kayvon Beykpour said in a statement.

Periscope's integration into Twitter arrives as the microblogger tries to reinvent itself amid an array of challenges: a population stuck at about 320 million users, a stock price that's plunged to an all-time low, and apparent competition in the form of an upstart social network called Peach. Twitter also is trying to find ways to make its platform simpler, even contemplating letting users send tweets significantly longer than its signature 140-character limit.

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The new feature, which will be available initially for Apple's iOS devices and later on Android and the Web, will likely bring a wider audience to Periscope. The service launched last March, around the same time it was acquired by Twitter, and said in August that it had already grown to 10 million users.

Periscope users now have created more than 100 million live broadcasts, the company said. This includes last week's #DrummondPuddleWatch broadcast, which showed people crossing a puddle in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, that was watched live by a half-million users and became a trending topic on, where else, Twitter.